Kerry gibt Edwards das Ja-Wort

--- Nun ist es offiziell: die beiden Johns sind zusammen. Der h�lzerne Staatsmann Kerry und der impulsive, charismatische Edwards -- ein demokratisches Dream-Team? Gemeinsam haben sie auf jeden Fall, dass sie beide Senatoren sind, ihre Charaktere k�nnten sonst aber kaum unterschiedlicher sein. Lange hatte sich Kerry zudem auch geziert, wollte eigentlich gar den Republikaner und Vietnam-Veteran John McCain als seinen ihm deutlich �hnlicheren "running mate". Edwards spielte als 51-j�hriger Strahlemann selbst lange Zeit die Rolle des Hoffnungstr�gers. Es wird nun viel davon abh�ngen, wie er sich einbringt, ohne seinen ersten Mann an die Wand zu spielen. Die New York Times kommentiert many Democrats said Tuesday, this highest-profile decision of Mr. Kerry's public life was as instructive about the party's presumed presidential candidate as it was about Mr. Edwards. It was the move of a candidate who is proving to be methodical, discreet, coolly pragmatic and exceedingly self-assured; one who is so intensely focused on victory as to be presumably unruffled by the unflattering stylistic contrasts that will surely be drawn whenever he and Mr. Edwards share a stage. "The fact that he's big enough to accept somebody on the ticket that has that kind of impressive and shiny personality � the public will see that," said Walter F. Mondale, the former vice president. "He was looking for someone who could add strength � not just geographically � to the ticket and help him get elected." ... so it was that Mr. Kerry settled on someone whose strengths as a campaigner were often held up to highlight Mr. Kerry's own shortcomings, but whose political attributes were widely agreed upon by Democrats who pressed Mr. Kerry to choose him. In fact, even one Republican who should know, former Vice President Dan Quayle, said the selection was the "logical, natural choice."